Hang'n Loose in Hawaii

Today marks the last day of our adventures in Hawaii, so here is a quick explanation of our adventures here....














Looking west on Na Pali Coast with Kalalau beach near foreground

After our week in Koke'e, we finally got down the mountain to the beaches of Kauai. We headed straight to the Napali Coast, where we backpacked 11 rather treacherous miles into the Kalalau Valley.
When I say treacherous, I mean it's pretty dang hard. You hike over 5 main headlands, which equals to about 5,000 ft of elevation gain. At about the 7th mile (mom's, maybe you should skip this part) you hike along a hair-raising stretch of the trail which is loose, very narrow, and with about 100 foot cliff dropping into the ocean. On top of that, it was so windy, it would push you around, just to make things tricky. More than anything, I think it's a mind over matter thing, and I kept the mantra in my head "I will not fall, I will not fall..." and we didn't!

It was all worth it because when you reach the Kalalau Valley, it's a stunning sight. Kalalau means "Wandering" which seems so fitting for our own travels! The setting is a golden stretch of beach, with it's own waterfall pouring down over a cliff, perfect for a shower after the long hike in. The waves on the north shore are huge and powerful, so much that they don't advise swimming, but the sound of the waves thundering down eases your soul anyways. The beach also has a couple of natural caves to explore and swim in. The next day, we went into the valley and found more swimming holes along the stream to swim in and cool off, and there is plenty of edible fruit trees when you get hungry. To me, it's a place almost too good to be true, like the garden of eden. Drew said, "It's almost like the place is naturally protected though, because it is so hard to get in and out." It has a natural protection from the swarms of tourists that would be there if it wasn't so tucked away, which is lucky for us.

It's such a cool place that people have chosen it as a home. There is a group of people living in the valley, hiding from the rangers (which we never saw), and trying to find, as one of them said, "enlightenment". One man named "mayor" Ronnie has been in there for 28 years! When we visited with them in their hangout spot called "the sanctuary" Ronnie began with "welcome to the wildlife perserve for humans!" They try to live mostly off the land, share everything, and they were very welcoming to us. The downfall is that these people create alot of trash that there aren't systems in place to get rid of. So, in this beautiful setting, there are piles of trash bags as a constant eye-sore to what humans can do to a place. It really got me thinking about how much waste we all produce (we just don't see it so clearly) and how I hope to really work on my own waste footprint in my life. I'm thinking alot about how many resources I use, how much waste I produce, how much energy goes into each thing I buy, where my food comes from, and how I can simplify my life. I am already learning so much from other people how to do this, and how not to do it. These are all things I've thought about in the past, but they are becoming more imprinted into who I am through this journey.

The Queen's Bath with start of Na Pali coast in background. Note the waves filling up the bath.

We spent the next fews days exploring the rest of the island, going to different beaches and natural gems like "Queen's bath" which is a a big tidepool that you can swim in. We only had one mishap where we got our SUV stuck in the sand at a remote beach called Polihale. We've met some locals, read more than I ever have in my life, and I even touched a sea turtle during our last day in Kauai, snorkeling! We've had a great relaxing time in Kauai and have had lots of time to talk and think, reflect and look forward. We're leaving for Nepal tommorrow morning, and after a grueling flight we'll get there on the 6th of November.

Thanks for all of your thoughts! Your comments make our day, and crack us up. Keep 'em, coming!

Erin